Sonnet 149

The Dark Lady: Reckoning

Notes

TLN 2073archaic vocab
“against myself with thee partake”
'Partake' here means to take sides with, to join someone in a dispute. The poet says he sides with the Dark Lady against his own interests — he argues her case even at his own expense.
TLN 2077archaic vocab
“I do fawn upon”
'Fawn upon' means to court servilely, to flatter with cringing, dog-like submission in hopes of winning favor. The poet admits he flatters anyone the Dark Lady favors, regardless of his own opinion of them.
TLN 2078archaic vocab
“if thou lour'st on me, do I not spend / Revenge upon myself with present moan”
'Lour'st' (lower, lour) means to look darkly or threateningly, like a storm-cloud passing across a face. 'Present moan' means immediate, instant lamentation. When the Dark Lady merely scowls at him, the poet punishes himself with grief on the spot rather than turning any resentment toward her.